SummerStage Presents ‘A Day for Grace’

Doug Vincent’s autobiographical play A Day for Grace was inspired by the tragedy of his father’s suicide
and the birth of his daughter, Grace, whose circumstances paralleled that of
his dad’s death. Though ultimately a play of hope, healing and perseverance, A Day for Grace covers topics of
alcoholism, bullying, drug addiction, dysfunctional families, mental illness
and, centrally, suicide in a series of interconnected monologues performed by
Vincent.

The
show includes live music by former BoDeans member Sam Llanas, whose 1998 album A
Good Day to Die, written
in response to his brother’s suicide, is featured heavily. “My stories and Sam’s music fit together like
we had written the material for each other,” says Vincent. “In a tight
turnaround, we put it all together with [Director] Gary Tanin’s awesome musical
direction and debuted the show together back in 2012. We’ve been doing it
together since.” Coincidentally, Tanin and former SummerStage of
Delafield Executive Director Delia Sava, who helped secure funding for the
production, have also lost family members to suicide. The timing of the play is
deliberate, aligning with National Suicide Prevention Month.

“I earnestly believe folks are
ready for some new ways to talk about all these difficult issues we never talk
about,” says Vincent. “Perhaps the deepest power of presenting these things in
a play is it allows us to show
instead of tell. It’s just me showing my story, along with Sam and his musical
story, with no claim to the answers. Maybe the specificity of our performed
story helps open up the universal about these difficult issues, cracking the
door a smidge for folks to speak of it.” Llanas adds, “The one message I
hope all who see the play will take with them is the simple fact that you are
not alone. Many, many people are dealing with the same issue(s) that you are
and there is hope.”

“Doug is an incredibly gifted, charming and creative writer
and performer,” says Tanin. “The play would not have been possible without our
being able to work through the struggles and share in the joys associated with being
able to present this work. A Day for
Grace has been a labor of love by all those involved.”

The
production of A Day for Grace will be
held at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 10 at the Oconomowoc Arts Center, 641 E.
Forest St. Tickets are $10. A discussion will follow the show, featuring an
expert panel of cognitive behavioral, mental health, addiction, social services
and therapy specialists. For
more information and to purchase tickets, visit summerstageofdelafield.org.

Theater
Happenings:

■ Renaissance Theaterworks’ 2015 Br!nk New Works Festival features
Katherine Glover’s The Sweeter the Crime
and Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos’ The Hall
of Final Ruin Sept. 8-14 at touring locations and the Broadway Theatre
Center’s Cabaret Stage, 158 N. Broadway. For more information and tickets, call
414-291-7800 or visit r-t-w.com/br!nk-playwrights.html.

■ Splinter
Group Theatre presents Bug,
described as “a love story disguised as a psychological thriller fueled by
drugs, paranoia and a healthy dose of conspiracy theory,” Sept. 10-20 at the Marian
Center for Nonprofits, 3211 S. Lake Drive. For tickets, visit splintergroup.brownpapertickets.com.

■ All In Productions
presents the Wisconsin premiere of Dogfight: The Musical at Next Act Theatre (255 S. Water St.), Sept.11-19and includes performers Rachael Zientek and Liz Faraglia. For more
information and tickets, visit allin-mke.com.

■ Tim
Firth’s comedy Calendar Girls is
based on the true story of 11 women who posed nude for a calendar to raise
money for the Leukemia Research Fund. Show runs Sept 11-27 at Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern
Ave., Racine. For more information and tickets, call 262-633-4218 or visit racinetheatre.org.

■ TheMilwaukee Repertory Theater presents
the world premiere of Back Home Again: On
the Road with John Denver, Sept. 11-Nov. 8 at the Stackner Cabaret, 108 E. Wells St. For more
information and tickets, call 414-224-9490 or visit
milwaukeerep.com.

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